fcbaldwin's Profile

Stopped for lunch today based on Taster's rec here. Amazing little place! It's hard to believe that so many different meals can come out of this little kitchen. Pop (David), and Ma were both there doing it all, and they were busy. Got the cheeseburger w/all the fixin's and it was freshly prepped and superb. They seemed to know almost all of the customers...very friendly place. Can't wait to try more of their many offerings. Daily meal specials M-F, like lasagna, pot roast, fried chicken, barbecue,etc that come with choice of two sides, all for $6.75.

Ok... Joey's in Richmond..it's the real deal...he's one of Tony's sons (or grandsons?). Go there. He has the authentic Norfolk Hot Dogs. I'm 66 and my Dad used to take me to the original Tony's in Norfolk when I was a kid.

It's on Midlothian Turnpike in Chesterfield County, Va.I stopped by there a couple of weeks ago at around 5pm to take out some grilled chicken and they were out! I guess they are just suffering start-up pains.So I went to Chicken Fiesta for their charcoal rotisserie bird.

It's on the corner of 3rd and E Clay, in the street or basement level of an old row-house. I think it's been open less than a year.This is not nouvelle cuisine. No, it's old Southern. Soul Food. Great Food. We went for lunch yesterday, Feb. 20, 2014.Lady Dee, one of the owners, met us and seated our party of four for lunch. Lady Dee is the Hostess that you wish you might have at every fine restaurant that you enter. Yes, I consider Pork Chop and Grits Cafe to be a "fine dining" restaurant. But at a much more reasonable price.Lady Dee engages you like you're family. And you immediately are comfortable.Our meals were "divine," as my mother used to say. Smothered pork chops, perfect collard greens (cooked down with all the correct seasonings), real mashed potatoes and gravy, etc. By the way, the dredging on the pork chops was out of this world. The Service couldn't have been better; the cook (Lady Dee's SO?) came out to see if we liked the food! Yes!Be sure to check their hours...I think lunch is only on Thurs. and Fri.

Thanks carolinadawg. I've seen the Brookwood BBQ and will pick up some to compare.One thing that I noticed with the Doughtie's is that it contains no fillers of any kind. It just contains the smoked pork (with some of the browned skin), along with their peppery vinegar sauce. That's something that you don't often see with many of the 'store-bought' Q products...soy-based filler comes to mind.

Does anyone remember this product from years ago? Not a restaurant, this was a family business in Portsmouth, Va. that produced Eastern NC style barbecue and related items for food service distribution. The barbecue was pretty good, but the business was sold eventually and then disappeared altogether by the late 1980's I believe.Well, the barbecue is back. It's being made by succeeding members of the Doughtie family in Portsmouth and sold in Farm Fresh supermarkets in Hampton Roads as well as online. I bought some today and had a couple of sandwiches for lunch. To me, it's as good or better than I remember from long ago. In fact, it's the best store-bought barbecue that I've had in a long time.(Disclaimer : I'm not affiliated with this business in any way, but I do hope that they succeed)

Frank just called and said I need to post the ingredients on the label of the bottle he picked up on that last day. Note that ingredients are supposed to be listed in order of weight or volume (don't know which). Also, I'll wager a dollar to a Duck Donut that this is not cooked.

The chipotle powder was an afterthought just in the last year or so, not necessary. I'm sure it wasn't in Bill's. Just reduce the mustard some though I know there is some in Bill's, maybe not as much as I used. I may have adjusted the cayenne lower when I added the chipotle, so you might want to add a little more cayenne if it's not hot enough.

When I made the first batch all those years ago, it was probably closer to the real Bill's. Over the years it's evolved a little. Maybe you'll end up with a batch at some point that you like better than Bill's. <g>

You would probably be wasting a lot of money if you got a set. If I were starting out, I'd get a good medium sized chef's knife 8" blade), a good santoku (7" blade) and some cheap paring knives. IMO, the best bang for your buck is the Messermeister Meridian Elite line for the first two. The blade angle is 15° rather than the 20-22° edge of most European knives. I have a set of 3 MIU paring knives that came free with something, and other than the paint coming off the wood handle, they've sharpened up nicely (I took them to 15°). This will put you a bit over your budget, but you'll save money in the long run. Cuttleryandmore.com carries many of the Messermeister Meridians. Like all large knife makers, they also carry cheaper lines, but I wouldn't advise fooling with those. One GOOD knife is better than 2 or 3 that won't take a good edge and keep it.

Phoebe, I agree with you about Carawan. For those who don't know, it's right on the highway in front of Wal-Mart. We have a cottage in Duck that we rent out in the summer and a few weeks in spring and fall, and I won't buy seafood anywhere else even though there's a seafood shop within walking distance of our cottage.

New this year is Josephine's, We've been there once and will be back for sure. She's not new to the OBX, was once owner of Cosmos Pizza. Her menu changes each Tuesday and she keeps the web site menu updated. She makes the bread (complementary), and it's the best I've ever had in a restaurant. Aqua in Duck used to have our fave bread, but they can't hold a candle to Josephine's. Oh, and she plops a bunch of fresh homemade pesto in the middle of a bowl of olive oil for your dipping pleasure. Chicken picatta was delicious as were veal saltimbocca and shrimp scampi. Everything there is from scratch.

Another favorite that you should all try is The Wave Pizza in the little Osprey Landing shopping area. It's right on the boardwalk and they have picnic tables outside on the deck right over the sound. Sunsets are fantastic! Fortunately for us it's just a short walk from our cottage. When you go there, tell them Frank and Linda sent you. We don't have any financial relationship with them, just enjoy seeing them do well. We do think they make the best pizzas (and subs) on the OBX.

The LSS is actually in the Sanderling. I suspect you were talking about The Left Bank which is indeed on the other side of the road and next to Paper Canoe. I have heard that the Left Bank will be (or is) closed in the near future.

Hi, Frank's wife Linda here. Well over 10 years ago Frank brought me one of those teeny cups (maybe a tablespoon) of the sauce from Bill's and asked me to copy it. Of course there were no ingredients listed. It's not much fun tasting BBQ sauce over and over attempting to make one match the other. Anyhow, the recipe below is what I came up with. It just happens that Frank went over to Bill's for lunch on their last day, but they had run out of food. However he was able to buy a bottle of their sauce, and I happened to have some of my copycat here at home. I had Frank do a blind taste test, and I can't remember which one he chose as Bill's, but he said that though they were not exactly the same, they were mighty close, and he didn't prefer one over the other.

Over a year ago Costco stopped carrying the good Tuscan EVOO here in the Richmond, VA area. I've been just devastated. However, just a week ago I found that they've started carrying a Spanish EVOO, same bottle, same Kirkland brand. It is TERRIFIC! I've always liked Spanish OOs because they're so fruity. This one is right up there with the best Spanish I've had.

We have a cottage in Duck and one of our favorites is J.K.'s, at mile post 9 in KDH, on the bypass. If you're in the mood for beef, it's cooked on wood burning grills and is wonderful. Consistently good food and service. It's worth the price, IMO.website: http://www.jksrestaurant.com

Any discussion of barbecue in Richmond where Bill's is mentioned ALWAYS goes this way. You either love it or hate it. For me, having lived in or near Richmond for most of my 63 years, I enjoy Bill's. And hokie2009 is right, the sauce is unlike any other, IMO. And I agree that the limeades are great along with the pies. The barbecue, well it's really not barbecue I guess....just a pork sandwich. It's an "acquired taste". I like it. I understand the difference as well.

Yes, it's not far from Smithfield. It's in Surry Ct.House, on Rt 30, not far from the Jamestown-Scotland ferry. Surry House is a little bit like the Va. Diner on Rt. 460 in Wakefield, but toned down some and somewhat more "genteel".Peanut soup, ham biscuits, fried chicken, etc. I happen to like it better than the more touristy Va. Diner.

It's a long list of old products that have been screwed with over the years, with many ruined. The brand names have been sold and re-sold, and then bastardized by the corporate idiots who couldn't leave a good thing alone.

Your description of how you remember Wink sounds to me like a product that I no longer see anymore by Canada Dry called simply Collins Mixer, or something like that. It was very tangy and dry, not "sweet" at all really. I, too, wish that were still around.

We finally were able to go to Paper Canoe during the week of July 4th (2011). Reservations are only accepted for groups of 6 or more and we had our daughter , son in law, and two grandsons (ages 13 and 12) with us.Paper Canoe is located across from, and just south of the Sanderling Inn in north Duck. The building is totally Outer Banks beachy and right on the sound with a great view from all of the windows. Our waitress was genuinely friendly, knowledgable of the offerings, and gave us great service. All of the food that we ordered was excellent. Catch of the day was Mahi, which son in law and I ordered, and was perfect. Linda had a real specialty of the chef, duck lasagne, and was thoroughly impressed. One grandson had the "big bowl of seafood", consisting of shrimp, scollops, mussels, and topped by a big piece of tuna. He had to fight off the rest of us from reaching over and taking some of it. The other grandson had a steak (I think it was porterhouse). He had a choice of 12 oz or 16oz. He chose 16oz and ate every bit of it. Daughter had a salad. The whole meal was great and everyone agreed. Bottom line, the place is great. We will go back often.

Yes. It will be where the bloody mary mixers and other drink mixers are located. The quantity of stock isn't always plentiful, however. Also, you only see it in those pale green plastic 1qt(approx) bottles.